This one really is mostly hands-on testing — and that belongs to a professional. But dyslexia shows up loudly at your kitchen table every day, runs strongly in families, and the evidence you can gather makes the whole evaluation faster and far better aimed.
We’ll be straight with you: unlike autism or ADHD, a dyslexia evaluation leans on direct, timed tests a professional gives your child — you can’t and shouldn’t do those at home. But dyslexia is one of the most visible-at-home things there is — you see it in every homework battle and bedtime story — and it’s 40–60% hereditary. The history, the everyday signs, the family pattern, the work samples — that’s all yours, and it’s exactly what an evaluator needs to aim straight.
You won’t test your child — you’ll note what you already see. Pick their age, then answer gently; under each one is what evaluators look for. At the end you get a printable summary to bring when you request an evaluation. Nothing you enter is saved or sent — not on our servers, not in your browser. Print it and it’s gone.
Let’s clear the fog before you spend anything.
Yes. A Specific Learning Disability (SLD) is when a bright, capable child struggles in one specific academic area far more than you’d expect. Dyslexia is an SLD in reading (the most common); dysgraphia is in writing; dyscalculia is in math. The key word professionals use is “unexpected” — the child is fine in most ways, but reading (or writing, or math) lags far behind.
Your public school will do it for free (your right under a law called IDEA), using a school psychologist. Or a private psychologist/neuropsychologist ($2,000–$5,000+) goes deeper and is often more explicit about naming “dyslexia.” Many families request the free school evaluation first. Here’s how to request it in writing.
Schools use one of three approaches — none a mystery once you see them:
Compares how your child should be doing with how they are doing. A big gap = a flag. Critics call it “wait to fail.”
Looks for the dyslexia “signature”: strong reasoning, but a specific weak spot (like sounding out words) matching a specific academic struggle.
The child gets strong, targeted reading help; if they still don’t catch up, that’s evidence. Often a first step.
Chance a child has dyslexia if a parent or sibling does. It runs in families, and it shows up every single day at home. The testing is the pro’s job — but the history, the family pattern, and the everyday signs are all yours, and they’re what make an evaluation fast and accurate.